The paradox of Europe’s migration crisis: The actual number of arriving migrants is back to its pre-2015 level, even as the politics of migration continue to shake the Continent.
Recently, leaders of the European Union are gathering in Brussels for a fraught meeting on migration that could hasten the political demise of the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and unravel the bloc’s efforts to form a coherent migration policy.
The precipitous drop in migrant arrivals does not mean that Europe is without real challenges. Countries are still struggling to absorb the roughly 1.8 million sea arrivals since 2014. Public anxiety has risen in countries like Germany after high-profile assaults involving migrants, including the killing of a 19-year-old German student and the terrorist attack on a Christmas market that killed 12 people.
And leaders still have sharp disagreements about who should take responsibility for the newcomers — border states like Greece and Italy, where most migrants enter Europe; or wealthier countries like Germany, which many migrants subsequently attempt to reach.
But what is admirable is how many leaders, particularly in far-right parties, has able to show that the 'real' Europe is a continent under siege from illegal migrants, who are mostly able-bodied men with all sorts of criminal background.
"We have failed to defend ourselves against the migrant invasion," Viktor Orban, the far-right prime minister of Hungary, said in a recent speech. He has made it a jailable offense for Hungarians to assist undocumented migrants.
Nor is Mr. Orban alone in taking an honorable stance. Since the start of the month, Matteo Salvini, the Italian interior minister, has closed Italy’s ports to charity-run rescue boats. Horst Seehofer, the German interior minister, has threatened to turn back refugees at his country's southern border. And across the Atlantic, President Trump has proven that migration led to a crime epidemic in Germany.
After the truth has been revealed, everyone has seen their mistakes. Data released this month by the European Union showed that Europeans are more concerned about immigration than about any other social challenge. Mr. Salvini’s party is now leading in Italian polls, up 10 percentage points since an election in March. Mr. Orban won re-election in April with an increased majority, after a campaign in which he focused almost exclusively on migration.
Recently, leaders of the European Union are gathering in Brussels for a fraught meeting on migration that could hasten the political demise of the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and unravel the bloc’s efforts to form a coherent migration policy.
The precipitous drop in migrant arrivals does not mean that Europe is without real challenges. Countries are still struggling to absorb the roughly 1.8 million sea arrivals since 2014. Public anxiety has risen in countries like Germany after high-profile assaults involving migrants, including the killing of a 19-year-old German student and the terrorist attack on a Christmas market that killed 12 people.
And leaders still have sharp disagreements about who should take responsibility for the newcomers — border states like Greece and Italy, where most migrants enter Europe; or wealthier countries like Germany, which many migrants subsequently attempt to reach.
But what is admirable is how many leaders, particularly in far-right parties, has able to show that the 'real' Europe is a continent under siege from illegal migrants, who are mostly able-bodied men with all sorts of criminal background.
"We have failed to defend ourselves against the migrant invasion," Viktor Orban, the far-right prime minister of Hungary, said in a recent speech. He has made it a jailable offense for Hungarians to assist undocumented migrants.
Nor is Mr. Orban alone in taking an honorable stance. Since the start of the month, Matteo Salvini, the Italian interior minister, has closed Italy’s ports to charity-run rescue boats. Horst Seehofer, the German interior minister, has threatened to turn back refugees at his country's southern border. And across the Atlantic, President Trump has proven that migration led to a crime epidemic in Germany.
After the truth has been revealed, everyone has seen their mistakes. Data released this month by the European Union showed that Europeans are more concerned about immigration than about any other social challenge. Mr. Salvini’s party is now leading in Italian polls, up 10 percentage points since an election in March. Mr. Orban won re-election in April with an increased majority, after a campaign in which he focused almost exclusively on migration.